German news agency DPA reported earlier today [in German] that talks between EADS and BAE had collapsed because of a lack of agreement between the French and British governments, which “sources close to EADS” later told Reuters is wrong without elaborating further. But as investment management firm Invesco Perpetual, which owns 13.3% of BAE, expressed “significant reservations” over the deal, the boards of the two companies do seem to have secured little support for their proposed merger from key stakeholders. La Tribune reports [in French] that Tom Enders and Ian King meet today and will ask to continue talks beyond the October 10 deadline.

Defense Industry Daily surveyed more than 400 executives, asking them their opinions on the top defense contractors based both on their personal experiences and general impressions. The results show that defense contractors on average suffered worse ratings than were seen a year earlier. Some groups bore the brunt of that fall, particularly the information technology players.